If you are over 40, then as a family physician, I strongly advise you to lift weights. There are many benefits, but here are the top three that are important to me as a busy leader: I get sick less frequently. I experience less injuries. And, I have more energy.
Here is my story. When I was 13, I lived in Lebanon during the 15-year civil war. Because of the war, school was canceled for about six months of one school year. My parents encouraged me to stay active and join a gym next to our house. So, I started lifting weights, being mentored by guys who were older and more advanced than me. What I noticed at 13 was astounding: I stopped getting colds and flus. I shared this with my mom, who was in her early fifties at the time. She started light weight training and also stopped getting sick.
Fast forward 20 years, I became a family doctor who sees all kinds of ailments at all ages from birth to old age. I made this observation again early in my medical career, one not taught to me in medical school. People in their sixties, seventies, and older who lifted weights had better energy and general health than many others who were younger than them. These patients did not come in for joint or back pain as many over 50 do. And they had surprisingly high energy. Sadly though, only a minor percentage of my patients lifted weights.
Usually we associate weight lifting with a desire to build muscle so we look good. Don’t do it for this reason. That’s not why I go to the gym now. As leaders, we need good health and energy to lead at our best potential.
I highly recommend that you lift weights, working all your muscle groups. Don’t be satisfied with merely gardening, playing tennis, or running. These are good physical activities, and we should do them, but they do not work all the muscle groups and strengthen the whole body the way weightlifting does.
Even if you do only 20-30 minutes of regimented weight training 4-5 times a week, it will make a big difference in your life. One other point, you don’t have lift super heavy weights. Finally, if you are not familiar with how to exercise all the muscle groups, get a trainer.
From a spiritual standpoint, we are to be good stewards of all that God gives us, including our bodies, which the Bible says is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Refer to this 2013 research that showcases some of the physiologic changes when working out muscles after even one session.
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